


Love, Spells, and Other Magical Things

by haelpack



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dense!Carlos, Love Potion/Spell, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2016-12-13
Packaged: 2018-09-08 07:45:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8836204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haelpack/pseuds/haelpack
Summary: Mal decides that Carlos should be the one to give Ben the love potion. Carlos just maybe (okay, definitely) has a small (huge), insignificant (pathetic) crush on the future king.Or else, the one where Carlos doesn't know how love potions work.





	

Carlos gripped the ziplock bag in his hand tight, careful not to crush the chocolate chip cookie inside. He still didn’t understand why it had to be _him_ that gave Ben the love spell instead of Mal. She and Evie had conspired quietly for a moment before the violet-haired fairy had declared Carlos was better for the job than she was.

Carlos’ heart pounded in his chest as he approached Ben. Had Mal realized the completely pathetic crush he had on the prince and decided to torture him with it? Let him have a taste of what he wanted without ever actually getting to have it? Maybe Mal was more evil than he’d thought.

“Hey, uh, Ben!” Carlos shouted, slightly panicked when Ben started walking away from his locker and away from Carlos. Ben turned, graceful as ever, and Carlos gave a sort of aborted wave. His cheeks flushed, feeling stupid, but Ben smiled and walked over to him.

“Hey Carlos,” Ben said, running a hand through his dirty blond hair. For a second, Carlos felt like he couldn’t breathe. He dumbly held the bag holding the cookie up for Ben to see.

“I made cookies,” he managed to say. “Double chocolate chip. You want one?” Ben glanced at the cookie and back at Carlos, his green eyes shining. Carlos’ stomach twisted painfully, half out of want and half out of guilt. He was an awful person. If he hadn’t been evil before this, he was definitely evil now because who could spell such a kind and wonderful person as Ben?  
“Thanks, but I don’t eat before a game,” Ben said apologetically, gesturing vaguely to the tourney field. 

Carlos felt bile rise in the back of his throat as he spoke the words Mal had drilled into him. “Oh. Yeah, okay. I get it. Don’t take food offered by kids of villains-”

Ben cut him off, eyes wide. “No, Carlos, that’s not what I-”

“It’s okay, I bet everyone in Auradon knows that.” Carlos dug the cookie out of the bag and made to take a bite. “More for me, I guess.” He half hoped Ben would let him eat it. No, more than half. He _wished_ Ben would let him eat the cookie.

But of course, Ben was too good for that. He snatched the cookie out from Carlos’ fingers and took a huge bite out of it. “No, see? I completely trust you.”

Carlos’ heart sunk as he thought, _you shouldn't have_.

…

Ben’s reaction to the love potion had been a little mellow. His gaze had sort of melted and he’d sighed out a little, “Carlos,” that made Carlos’ heart stop for a second. For a second, Carlos could pretend that it was real, that Ben was really looking at him like he’d hung the moon or something. Then Jay had dragged him off to get ready for the tourney game, leaving Carlos feeling hollow, still holding half of the cookie.

Carlos sat on the bench, right on the side of the field. He knew he wouldn’t be playing and he was okay with that. Let’s be real, he sucked. He’d rather just watch Ben anyway.

The game was going pretty well, Auradon was winning, and Carlos jumped up to cheer when Ben scored a goal. Ben noticed him, dropped his tourney stick, and waved at him. Carlos’ cheeks reddened, darkening even more when Audrey appeared next to him. She waved at Ben, thinking he had been waving at her. Which, you know, he should have been. If Carlos hadn’t spelled him.

“Keep it up, Benny-boo!” She shouted. Ben dropped his hand, completely ignoring her, and jogged to meet up with the rest of the team. Audrey beamed at her boyfriend, offhandedly commenting, “He looks so good in that uniform, doesn’t he?”

Carlos spluttered, “What? Um, I mean, I guess so, he’s not, like, unattractive or anything I mean, why are you asking me I-”

“Ugh, freak.” Audrey rolled her eyes and walked away, rejoining the other cheerleaders. Carlos put his head in his hands, pulling on the ends of his hair. He really needed to chill. 

He looked back up as the game continued. Ben played well, but suddenly stopped when he looked over at Carlos. He _stopped playing the game to wave at Carlos_. Again.

Coach was screaming as the game went on and Ben just stood there, waving until Carlos gave a feeble wave back. Carlos silently willed Ben to go back to the game, but no, that would make life too easy, wouldn’t it? Ben had to jog over to Carlos, completely ignoring the commotion around him. This time, there was no one near Carlos, so it was completely clear to everyone where he was heading.

“Dude, what are you doing?” Carlos asked once Ben was close enough. Ben tugged his helmet off, a dopey grin on his beautiful face. He plopped next to Carlos on the bench.

“I missed you, so I thought I’d watch the game with you,” he said simply. He slung his arm around Carlos’ shoulders.

“That’s- I mean that’s nice and all, but you’re supposed to be playing!” Carlos reminded him. He frowned.

“Are you mad at me, Carlos?” He said, worry lacing his voice. “What did I do? I don’t want my boyfriend to be angry with me!” His voice raised up an octave, clearly panicked.

“Your boyfriend…?” Carlos repeated, dazed. The words tasted like chocolate on his lips, like everything he’d every wanted wrapped up in just two words.

“What the hell are you doing?” Coach had finally made it over to them. The man was practically a cherry, he was so red in the face. “Get back out there or else we’ll have to forfeit!”

Carlos was suddenly keenly aware of the silence of the crowd. They were all on display for the whole school to see. He spotted Evie and Mal, both looking terribly smug. Evie shot him a thumbs-up and a wink. Then he spotted Audrey, her face a mix of hurt, humiliation, and anger. She’d definitely heard the boyfriend thing.

“No,” Ben was saying to Coach, “I want to stay with Carlos! You can play without me.”

“Without you, we’re one team member short!”

“Ben, you should play,” Carlos said, awkwardly nudging the prince next to him. Ben looked confused. He opened his mouth to protest, but Carlos cut him off. “If you play and win, I won’t be mad at you anymore.”

Like a bullet from a gun, Ben was up off the bench and running onto the field with only a, “This is for you, Carlos!” trailing behind him.

“What was in that cookie?” Carlos breathed once Coach stomped away, yelling at the referee to start the game again.

“It’s working!” Evie squealed, popping up out of nowhere next to him. “He totally loves you!”

“’S not real love, Eve,” Carlos muttered.

“Real, fake, who cares?” Mal said, appearing on Carlos’ other side. “We’ve got him right where we want him, and come coronation, it’ll be you standing up beside _Benny-boo_.” She grinned devilishly and Carlos was struck with the desire to shove her. So he did. He pushed her right off the bench and stood up, stomping away.

He stomped all the way up to his room, his only solace being Dude waiting by the door for him. Dogs really were great. Carlos picked his pet up into his arms, still frowning. Dude reminded him of Ben, which reminded him of what a horrible thing he’d done, which reminded him that Ben’s love was fabricated from a bottle, which honestly made him want to cry.

He laid on his bed, curled up into a ball with Dude in the center, and let a few tears leak out.

…

“I won the game!” Ben said, standing in the doorway of Carlos and Jay’s dorm room. He was still in his tourney uniform, which was all muddy from the game. “I scored the winning goal and everything.”

“That’s great,” Carlos muttered, looking down at Dude, who sat at his feet.

“So you’re not mad at me anymore, right?”

“Right.” Ben grinned, looking quite pleased with himself.

“And you’ll go on a date with me? Tomorrow?” Carlos looked up, surprise breaking through his fog of despair.

“Uh,” he said unintelligibly. What was he supposed to say to that? He knew his friends would tell him to say yes, but he was feeling worse and worse about this plan as time went on. He wasn’t sure he wanted a date that was only happening because of magic, even if it was with Ben.

“Please?” Ben asked, grabbing Carlos’ hand with both of his. He looked deep into Carlos’ eyes and the De Vil boy couldn’t do anything but nod. Damn those puppy eyes, how could anyone say no to them? Carlos definitely didn’t have it in him.

…

 

The next day, dress in new clothes sewn by Evie, Carlos found himself on a date with Ben. They rode on Ben’s bike halfway across the town to a lovely forested area, where Ben told him they would be continuing on foot. Carlos was quiet, thinking about what Evie had said while he was getting ready.

“You should let yourself enjoy this, Carlos. You deserve this.” Evie had spun him around, admiring her work. She’d gotten the sizes exactly right without having to measure him at all, which was quite a feat. 

“It’s not a real date. He’s under a spell, remember?” Evie had shrugged.

“A date’s a date. And anyway, it won’t be long until our parents are free from the Isle and running our lives again, so we should enjoy what we can while we can.” Carlos had gaped at her, surprised to find he wasn’t the only one who didn’t really want his mother free, but he hadn’t been able to say anything, as Ben had shown up spouting his, “Now I understand the difference between ‘cute’ and ‘handsome’” nonsense.

Carlos decided then and there that he would take Evie’s advice and enjoy this one day with Ben. The coronation was next week and after that, nothing would matter anymore. He’d be his mother’s pet again. He should let himself have one good day.

The picnic Ben had set up for them was beautiful. They sat on a plush throw blanket, the soft crash of waves surrounding them, and ate.

Carlos picked up a piece of chocolate with a leaf on the end. Curious, he took a large bite, eyes widening when the sweetness of the berry overtook the chocolate. He grabbed three more, eating them quickly as Ben chuckled.

“Is this your first time?” He asked. Carlos swallowed his mouthful of food, biting his bottom lip.

“We don’t really… date on the island,” he explained, a little awkward because he knew that even if they did, he never would have found a date. “It’s more like gang activity.”

Ben quirked an eyebrow playfully. “I meant is this your first time eating a chocolate covered strawberry?”

“Is that what these are?” Carlos asked breathlessly, picking another one up. “These are awesome.”

“And really messy,” Ben teased. Carlos blushed, knowing he had chocolate all over his lips again. How embarrassing. He licked it off, looking at Ben to see if he’d gotten it all. “Here, let me,” Ben said softly. He reached a hand out to wipe the chocolate away. Or so Carlos thought.

The next thing Carlos knew, Ben was kissing him softly. Carlos froze. He had no idea what to do, but instinct kicked in and he kissed back. There was a little voice in the back of his head reminding him how wrong this was, but Carlos ignored it and kissed Ben deeper.

When Ben pulled back, the chocolate was gone and there was a grin on both boys’ faces. Ben looked at Carlos so softly, so tenderly, that he didn’t know what to do.

They stared at each other for a few more moments before Ben broke the comfortable silence. “Do you want to go for a swim?”

The perfect moment over, Carlos shook his head. “I, uh, I can’t swim.”

“You grew up on an island!”

“Yeah, with a magic barrier!”

“Oh, right.” Ben seemed lost for words for a moment. “I could teach you?”

Carlos didn’t really like the idea of swimming. He’d always been wary of large bodies of water. “Maybe some other time. You can swim and I’ll watch?” He suggested and Ben smiled again. He scrambled up, tearing his shirt off and tugging his pants down. Carlos’ eyes bulged for a moment, but Ben’s swim trunks were under his pants, light blue and covered in gold crowns.

Carlos snickered to himself at the shorts.

“Hey, don’t mock the shorts!” Ben cried, flicking water at Carlos. Carlos squawked at the cold water and dipped his hand into the lake to splash Ben back. A water fight ensued, the two of them splashing and getting soaked. It was all fun and games until Ben lost his footing and fell into the water.

He didn’t come back up.

“Ben?” Carlos called, worried. “Ben?” Still, he didn’t surface. Without even thinking, Carlos jumped into the water. He plunged down, unable to see anything. He started twisting and turning; he didn’t know which way was up. Two strong arms grabbed him and pulled him to the surface.

“What the hell, man?” Both boys yelled at each other. Ben pulled Carlos onto the dock.

“You jumped in?” Ben shouted, looking furious.

“You didn’t come back up!” Carlos retorted. Ben paused. “I got worried, okay?”

“You tried to save me?”

“Yeah, and I almost died.” Carlos shivered, the water cooling his skin. He rubbed his arms to generate some warmth. “At least you’re okay.”

“Thanks. Uh, here.” Ben held out a spiky, glowing rock. “Throw it into the lake and make a wish.” Carlos took the rock soberly. He didn’t want to throw it back in. Not that he’d tell anyone, but that rock was the first real gift he’d ever been given.

He held onto the rock tightly and thought, _I wish this was real_. With a small sigh, he tossed it back into the lake. He knew that it was one wish that would not be coming true.

…

Mal had almost bitten his head off when he’d asked for the reversal potion. It was only when Carlos provided the ‘tears of human sadness’ himself that she’d relented and made the small cupcake. She made him promise he wouldn’t give it to Ben before the coronation.

“Obviously I won’t,” Carlos had assured her. “Then this would all be for nothing, and that’s worse.”

Ben’s ring felt perfect on Carlos’ finger, as if it belonged there. 

“I, um, have something for you, too,” Carlos said, breaking his gaze from the golden ring. He held out the box with the cupcake. “It’s for after the coronation. Something to keep your energy up before dinner.” 

Ben opened the box and saw the cupcake, a smile on his lips. “You’re always thinking of me. But I can’t wait.” He shoved the cupcake in his mouth as Carlos loudly protested. “Yum.”

Carlos waited a beat. “How do you feel?” He swallowed hard, but couldn’t ask what he really wanted to ask. What Ben still (artificially) in love with him?

“I’m not sure,” Ben said nonchalantly. “We should give the anti-love potion a minute to take affect.”

Carlos blinked. “ _What_?” Ben dissolved into a fit of laughter at the look on Carlos’ face. “You knew?”

“That you spelled me? Yeah, I knew.” He looked a little smug and damn if that wasn’t hot.

“For how long?” Carlos’ heart was sinking in his chest. 

“Since our first date. The spell washed away in the Enchanted Lake.”

Carlos’ heart might as well have been at the bottom of the lake, it was so sunk. “Oh. So you’ve just been… pretending ever since then?” Wow. Carlos’ wouldn’t have expected the thought of Ben pretending to be in love with him to hurt so bad. It was so much worse than before.

“I haven’t been pretending,” Ben stated firmly, grabbing Carlos’ hand. “And anyway, I get it. I was with Audrey and you didn’t trust it could happen on its own. Right?” Ben leaned over, kissing Carlos lightly on his cheek. Carlos looked down at his hands.

“Yeah,” Carlos murmured. “Yeah, that’s it.”

…

“I just don’t get one thing,” Carlos said later, after the coronation and the whole Maleficent nonsense was over. “I can’t figure out when Ben started to really like me. Could he have started to genuinely like me while under the influence of the potion?” He looked to Mal for answers, who rolled her eyes.

“You are so dense.” She threw the spell book at him and it fell open to the bookmarked page, the love potion. “The spell only works if the recipient already has some sort of feelings for the other person.”

“Okay?” Carlos wasn’t following. Evie groaned. 

“He liked you before, dummy! We just needed to give him a push to get him to dump Audrey for you.”

And well, if Carlos got a dopey grin at that and hurried off to make-out with his king of a boyfriend, who could really blame him?


End file.
